F1 hopeful Emma Kimilainen has broken her silence, saying she once quit racing after her team told her to pose topless for a magazine.
The 31-year-old took four years away from the sport in 2009 but has since returned to become a star in the all-female W Series.
Now she'sspoken for the first time about what almost pushed her away from the sport entirely.
Kimilainen revealed her team had secured her a sponsor for the 2010 season, but it quickly turned sour after she found out the sponsor was a "high-end men's magazine".
Speaking on the Shikaani Formula 1 Podcast, she admitted she walked away after being told her signing depended on her posing topless.
Kimilainen later Tweeted: "I'm speechless of the amount of support. I'll never be 'the complainer' talking about 'what ifs'. My journey is still unfinished. Let's race!"
Dont know what kind of truth serum I drank before the @shikaani podcast but it happened that I talked about things I've remained silent. Remaining silent is easier when you don't want attention about things unrelated to your results and you don't like drama. But here we are😅 1/6
